Me Likey...

The last thing I need is a pair of shoes! But, I'm quite taken with these... ah, what's a girl to do?

Roger Vivier plaid rosette stiletto

Mad For Plaid

1977: Dan Aykroyd & Steve Martin as two "wild and crazy guys" (left)

Fall 2008: Dolce & Gabbana channel their inner Georg & Yortuk Festrunk (right)

Photo Credit (right): Firstview

What a versatile pattern plaid is. It can be classic, it can evoke nerdy, preppy or even punk. Plaid can be masculine or feminine and when worn as a kilt, sans skivvies, tartan can be traditional.

Fall 2006: McQueen tweaks traditional tartan

Photo Credits: Firstview

Craig Ferguson dons a kilt...

I am not preppy or very classic, so I prefer my plaid with a bit of edge. I also like to see it utilized in unexpected ways, whether it be in styling or in the fabric. After all, part of what makes up good design is the ability to creatively interpret things in ways that others have not.

always classic, Burberry

Fall 2009: Ralph Lauren's "Americana" plaids

Photo Credits: Firstview

UPDATE 5-12-10: "Spaceballs I has gone to PLAID!"

"Blondie Ambition"

Debbie Harry is simply a Goddess. I pretty much worshiped her as a young girl and through my teenage years. I even went so far as to paint one of her album covers on the back of my jean jacket! Yes, I confess, I had a painted jean jacket -- several, in fact. And I painted for others! I guess you could say that I had a thriving little business in High School!

cover of Debbie Harry's solo album, KooKoo from 1981

(of all images, this is what I chose for the back of my jean jacket!)

Debbie was so stunningly beautiful in the 70’s and 80’s, but she also had a great sense of style and some killer pipes! She had a tremendous voice and she looked so sexy and so edgy, I wanted to be her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to dye my hair. I wasn’t even allowed to have pierced ears until age thirteen!

beautiful Blondie

I just posted about the decade that was the sensational seventies and I realized that I was lucky to be born into such a colorful period in time. Jeffrey, from Fashion by the Rules, reminded me of Studio 54 and the divine age of Disco. I can only imagine what it would have been like to be a part of that glamorous scene. How empowering to wear the revealing clothes, how exhilarating to dance all night and how surreal to meet Andy Warhol!

Debbie and her mates in 1978

Fashion of the Disco Age can be summed up in one word – SEXY! Or maybe SKIN. Or maybe STILETTO. At any rate, women like Bianca Jagger, Janice Dickinson, Ivana Trump and Jerry Hall frequented the notorious night club, Studio 54, dressed to kill. But, Debbie Harry did it better than anyone, in my opinion. She was always dressed to perfection, right down to her lip gloss.

decadence and disco balls

Debbie Harry circa 1978

I want to wear this outfit this weekend!

Harry set so many trends which we still interpret today. Madonna is an icon, no doubt, but who do you think went blonde first? Ms. Harry, obviously. One of my favs from the 80’s, Terri Nunn from the band Berlin, adopted Blondie’s “dip dye” hair style and I see people wearing versions of this look today on the streets of NYC.

Debbie accessories a plain white tee and plain white tank with her dip dye hair

My pal (and jewelry designer whose Cleopatra earrings are in the upcoming Sex and the City film), has been blogging recently about her obsession with “Double Denim.” In fact, so has fellow blogger and founder of IFB, Jennine Jacob. It seems “D-squared” (not the designer duo/twins) is coming back with a vengeance. Debby Harry was wearing this look over 30 years ago!

Debbie does denim!

I’m a sucker for stripes and for sailor influenced ensembles which Harry wore often. These looks are classic, but Blondie kept them cute and current by infusing her own sense of style.

wearing sailor stripes and a sailor collar

Debbie Harry, 1978

At nearly 65 years old, the gorgeous Debbie Harry is still turning heads and still as fashionable as ever.

On Trend

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the Fall/Winter 2010/2011 ready-to-wear presentation by the Fashion Group Foundation. I’m going to keep today’s post brief, because I’m actually covering the event for the Fashion Group Members Bulletin, so I’ve got to get crackin’ on my article!

As always, FGI’s Creative Director, Marylou Luther, put together a fantastic overview of the collections from New York, London, Milan and Paris. The presentation is so popular in the industry; FGI has four shows in one day in order to accommodate everybody who wants to attend. After the trend overview, panelists Ken Downing (Sr. VP, Fashion Director, Neiman Marcus), Sarah Brown (Beauty Director, Vogue) and Julie Gilhart (Sr. VP, Fashion Director, Barneys) answered questions posed by moderator, Diane von Furstenberg, President of the CFDA. Unfortunately, Robin Givhan (Style, Washington Post) was unable to attend as she was with Mrs. Obama! OK, I guess we can excuse her :-)

New York: Altuzarra (left), London: Burberry (right)

Milan: Fendi (left), Paris: Akris (right)

The trend overview was full of great information that is essential to editors, designers and buyers. In terms of color, Camel made the biggest statement on the runways -- I called it immediately after the New York Collections (click here for my post “Camel’s Back”). It’s always gratifying to know that I am on the same wavelength as one of the top trend forecasters in the country!

Aquascutum (left), Tahari (right)
 

"Mash-ups” are a trend to look for next season (although, it’s always present). This term refers to the combination of fabrics and prints that normally wouldn’t work together, but when mixed and matched with an artist’s eye, the result is brilliant. Dries Van Noten is the reigning King! Fellow blogger, Elena (fabulous finds) just mentioned this trend on her Facebook page. Again, I love it when great minds think alike!

Dries Van Noten, Fall 2010

The panel discussion was both interesting and encouraging. The message that stuck out for me is that authenticity is more important than ever in this economy. Well, that and Diane von Furstenberg should have been on the panel rather than asking the questions! She has a lot to say and a lot of experience-- I would have preferred to hear more of her point of view. Ms. von Furstenberg did manage to get her two cents in whenever possible. I love a strong woman!

DVF, Fall 2010

The Fashion Group is based in New York, but has regional chapters in cities throughout the country (as well as some international cities). To become a member and to find out about the perks, visit www.fgi.org

All photo credits: Firstview

Get Some Courrèges

Continuing my theme from the other day, Fashion Repeats, I thought I would head back to the 60's -- not on some psychedelic acid trip or anything, but back to the fashion archives. Fashion trends usually repeat every 25 years or so, which is why we have seen the resurgence of the 1980's over the past few seasons. Since I'm a child of this decade, I don't find what I see in magazines, stores and on the runways right now to be as tragic as others. Since I liked a lot of the styles and wore the clothes before, it makes sense that I would like them again as long as the pieces look current. A modernized version of a 1980's style, if you will.

 a very modern looking Courrèges leather jacket from the 1960's

Claude Montana, circa 1988 (left) & Balenciaga, Spring 2010 (right)

Considering that fashion tends to recycle approximately every 25 years, it is also logical that I find the styles of the 1960's to be visually appealing. I've always been drawn to strong shapes and geometric styling and this has manifested into my personal design aesthetic. As a young, budding designer, I was not only influenced by designers of the 80's (i.e. Montana, Mugler, Ferre), but also of the 60's.

Some of my favorite 1960's fashions are the creations of André Courrèges. Courrèges is a French designer known for his ultra-modern style. Born March 9, 1923 in the Pyrenees, Courrèges traveled to Paris at age 25 and worked briefly at a fashion design house (Geanne Lafaurie) before going to work with Spanish designer, Cristobal Balenciaga.

Courrèges, 1965 (Left)

(Right) Me in 1988 in my pathetic attempt to make a similar jacket style (I didn't even know how to sew back then!)  I'm subjecting myself to this embarrassing photo for the good of this post!

Courrèges eventually started his own collection, introducing space-age clothes. His designs were angular and he used shapes such as the square, trapezoid and triangle to create strong, futuristic and minimalistic pieces. The designer said that he built his dresses rather than designed them. Bright colors, plastic materials, synthetic fabrics and bold black and white patterns were rigidly constructed into unique styles that became Andre’s signature look.

Courrèges collage

Fashion Repeats

I've been kinda busy lately and I realize that I've been neglecting my blog a bit.  Shame on me!  This week, I am working on a few new styles and I always like to do a bit of research first -- some brainstorming to get the creative juices flowing. 

vintage motorcycle girl

I promise to share more on these garments later, but in the meantime I came across this amazing photo on the net (from an old LIFE magazine).  Something about it is speaking to me... perhaps that insanely wide and magnificent leather belt adorned with metal hardware.  How many designers have cinched the waist of a runway model with a version of a cummerbund style belt?  Good style and good fashion always repeats itself.

Yves Saint Laurent available on Net-A-Porter

More Creeps

Just what we need, more creeps in this world!  Thought I would build on yesterday's post - looks like it's not just musicians rockin' these shoes.  Check out these creepers taking a stroll down the runway...

Armand Basi, Fall 2009

Nathan Jenden, Fall 2007

Galliano for Dior, Fall 2004

Photo Credits: Firstview

White Lies

Yves Saint Laurent, Resort 2010

Spring is officially underway and people are anxious to shed their winter layers and break out the shorts and flip flops.  But, what about the "rules of fashion" and do they really apply?  Are we actually supposed to wait until Memorial Day until it's safe to wear white or open-toe shoes? 

Akris (left) & Celine (right), both Spring 2010

I've never been one to play by the rules and I am not a follower.  In fashion, it is okay to be an individual and "wear what you want," as my friend WendyB would say.  As long as an outfit is fabric appropriate and stylistically tasteful, I say it's perfectly fine to wear white.  I wouldn't recommend sporting a little white sundress and sandals just yet, but the looks in today's post would certainly be acceptable.  And jeans and a plain, white tee... seasonless.  You can never go wrong.

Jil Sander (left) & Michael Kors (right), both Spring 2010

Photo Credits: Firstview

Pastels Please

I know that I have mentioned many times in my posts that I do not wear a lot of color.  After all, I'm a New Yorker, for God's sake!  Well, the other day I spent my afternoon (and into the wee hours of the night) as an extra on the set of "The Good Wife."  I was instructed to bring three changes of wardrobe -- no white, no red and no busy patterns.  So, I brought black, black and more black.  They actually asked me to put on a cheesy olive colored knit top for one of the scenes and I reluctantly agreed.  But, back to the point...

Alberta Ferretti, Spring '08

Spring time is all about color and April calls for pastels in particular.  I can't remember the last time I actually went to Church... oh yes, my friend's wedding at St. Patrick's Cathedral.  I had to speak in front of everyone -- talk about pressure... and guilt!  But, I digress...   Anyway, if I were forced to wear pastels, say... to Church, I would only do so if I could choose one of the lovely outfits in this post.

Bottega Veneta, Spring '07

Bottega Veneta, Spring '07

Jonathan Saunders, Spring '09

OK, maybe this is not technically pastel, but I adore Mr. Saunders and had to include him in this post!

Giambatisa Valli, Resort '08

Giambatista Valli, Resort '08

Somehow, masterful Marc Jacobs manages to make pastel colors work for the Fall seasons too!  In my humble opinion, he does so much better with Louis Vuitton than he does for his own line!  I'm in love with this suit...

Vuitton, Fall '08

Vuitton, Fall '08

Photo Credits: Firstview